A Pooling Shade of Grey

When leading Australasian pallet and logistics equipment rental company Loscam was preparing last year to enter the New Zealand market, it needed to broaden its “palette” with respect to what colour to paint its pallets.

The familiar red of the Australian Loscam offering and the safety yellow it deploys in its Asian operations were already being used by other equipment poolers in New Zealand, prompting Loscam back to the drawing board to determine the colour of its new “AdvaNZ” pallet, designed specifically for the New Zealand market.

“We worked through options around the best colour in terms of balancing our needs for resistance to scuffing, ease of pallet coverage, UV strength, and price, says David Edwards, General Manager Marketing & Development for Loscam, “and ended up with a unique colour – Loscam Grey!”

The AdvaNZ pallet is manufactured from locally sourced softwood, and is designed with true four-way entry. This feature enables Loscam’s customers to safely load vehicles using the 1m face of the 1200×1000 mm pallet, thereby enabling shippers to get more pallets on each shipment. The AdvaNZ also features a distinctive “two man lift” logo.

David is quick to point out that the “two man lift” logo has to do with its engagement with customers. “While the pallet is a standard weight for the New Zealand market, we spent a lot of time listening to retailers before the launch and there is a real push around health & safety. We responded with the stencil, which reminds users to be carful when handling the pallet.”

Existing 2ic Software users needing to manage Loscam accounts in New Zealand have been enjoying a smooth transition in terms of pallet control, given that the file formats and other Loscam systems are the same as those in Australia. Widely recognized as the world’s most effective pallet control tool for controlling equipment from multiple providers, 2ic Software enjoys a great relationship with Loscam, CHEP as well as well as many other equipment poolers.

With participants in the New Zealand supply chain increasingly finding themselves faced with managing equipment from multiple suppliers, it is no surprise that 2ic Software is welcoming many new clients looking to optimize their equipment control. Major retail distributors already utilizing 2ic in New Zealand include retailers Progressive and Foodstuffs.

Controlling equipment from multiple suppliers can be complicated, whether the pallet is blue, red, yellow or grey. No matter what the shade, 2ic Pallets makes equipment control black and white.